Two years ago, Varyer was three years running and seven months into a pandemic. Our distant hearts stumbled through a collective fever dream to push out a sparkly new varyer.com, a platform for us to discover in public.
The publishing strategy was simple: embrace variety, imperfection, and impermanence. Never a polished destination, but an ongoing and unfinished journey of optimism that allows us all to be curious, vulnerable, and open to constant change. That last bit feels more important than ever right now.
Our internal communication tenets that informed our initial site launch, Oct 2020.
In a recent post, Troy Young opined that we’re stuck in a network of numerous major cultural shifts, and it seems possible we’ll never get unstuck. The modern equilibrium is a perpetual state of change, there’s a lack of permanence in every direction, and because of this relentless instability, “optimism takes work right now.” Totally. Very hard work.
But that’s an important component to our vision, which is that variety is stability. We’re not completely powerless against uncertainty. We have agency over our response to the unavoidable, and we can influence the outcome of unexpected situations to our benefit. That’s serendipity. Finding luck and opportunity when we open our eyes to the world. And doing the hard work that comes with being optimistic.
Curiosity means questioning things all the time, and it's a mindset that draws us out of our comfort zones. Not just engaging in safe spaces, but unknown ones. It’s about connecting the dots that appear in front of you through chance, rather than erasing the dots that feel like they’re coming from a place of precariousness. Instead of walking away from an unexpected moment, make the calamity meaningful. These are the cornerstones of making connections, building community, and capturing a mindset that creates fellowship.
And that’s where we are right now: striving to cultivate variety, curiosity, fellowship, and optimism. We’ve updated our site to reflect our current values and maxims. Not because we’ve perfected them and want to tell people about it—but because we’re working towards them, actively seeking change head-on with this spirit.
The most rewarding adventures are the unexpected ones, and we’re appreciative to be here with you.
